Quote:
Originally Posted by TallerIsBetter
Again I'll contrast London to Lubbock, TX. Lubbock is half the size of London, but has I-27 running N-S through the city, Loop 289, a full limited access ring, and the recent billion dollar 82/62 freeway from downtown, SW past the University and out well past the ring (they bulldozed Buddy Holly's childhood neighborhood to build it). All of these have two lane service roads on both sides, along their full length. So, that means its time to start on their SECOND ring road, the Outer Loop. London could still build anything it wants, including a ring road or cross town freeway. It just takes money and a will to do so. Unfortunately, I'm now convinced that the Anti-Car mentality is what always had and will hold this city back. The Council of the 70s rejected the Provincial freeway build offer and a lot of their motivation was a general anti-car ethos (they don't have Gina Barber's Car Free Sundays in Lubbock, lol) - I remember Jane Bigelow suggesting everyone put a brick in your toilet to save water.
Problem is that the way London is laid out with a downtown and everything going out in all directions means we are naturally a car city. Same with Lubbock's layout. Trouble is we have a lot of people that want to deny that and try and impose strategies that only really work in cities laid out differently. Mass transit really works in Toronto because everyone who is downtown goes in less directions (not south, and mostly north to meet the Bloor line.).
http://www.lubbockonline.com/storyimage/TX/20180722/NEWS/180729783/AR/0/AR-180729783.jpg |
Uggh. I don't want to be offensive. But this is pure ignorance on urban design. If you're going to model London after a small city elsewhere, why the hell would you choose Lubbock, Tx? There are cities the size of London all over the world that are transit friendly. And given the fact that London doesn't have a highway through it, that's exactly what London could and should be.
This does not mean "no driving" as the usual strawman response runs. It means, proper transit that is convenient to most people, which should in turn free up roadspace. London is small enough, that a well designed transit system should be able to connect anyone to the downtown core in about 20 mins and any two points in London in about 30 mins.
Cherry on top is citing Toronto as an example of mass transit that works. Canadians are so ignorant of what good urban planning and public transport looks like that they think Toronto has public transit that "works". It's sad.
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